A workplace that prioritises mental health and wellbeing is one that fosters support, leading to increased productivity and overall happiness. Implementing a mental health policy can help achieve this by promoting good mental health, encouraging mutual support, and inspiring individuals to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing.

As communication and commitment is key when implementing any HR policy,  we've put together 5 steps on how to embed a mental health policy into your workplace.

 

Step 1: Get leadership support and buy-in

Any real change must come from the top. Business owners, organisational leaders and HR play a critical role in driving policies and practices that promote mental health in the workplace.

They have the ability to positively influence workplace culture, management practices and the experience of employees. Importantly, leaders must be able to lead by example.

 

Step 2: Put together an internal communications plan

Once you get the go-ahead, put together an internal communication plan. Remember to be clear on what the policy is trying to achieve. For instance, the ultimate goal is to:

  • Build and maintain a workplace environment and culture that supports mental health and wellbeing
  • To increase employee knowledge and awareness of mental health in the workplace
  • To reduce the stigma around depression and anxiety in the workplace
  • To create employee engagement through a range of activities that support employee health and wellbeing

Additionally, look into which communication channels are most effective for your audience. For example, retail frontline staff may not be able to check their emails regularly compared to those who work in office environments. That means you may need to alter and prioritise each channel and approach.

 

Step 3: Provide training where needed

To ensure greater success, offer training. For instance, Beyond Blue's ‘Mental health in the workplace’ toolbox talk training package aims to equip managers with the skills and confidence to encourage conversations about mental health in the workplace, reduce stigma and support staff experiencing mental health conditions.

Training does not have to be provided all at once. You can schedule training sessions on an ongoing basis or an as-needed basis.

 

Step 4: Ensure employee commitment

To ensure all employees are familiar with the mental health policy, they should sign off on it after reading. The policy should also be easily accessible, for example by posting it on the company intranet or staff notice board.

 

Step 5: Measure the success of the policy

It is important to monitor and review your progress, so you can see how you are tracking and measuring the effectiveness of your initiatives. Use information from employees, health and safety committees, audits and Human Resources.

With all the data gathered, it’s important to create an action plan. Healthy Workplaces SA has a free action planning template you can download here.

 

Over to you

Remember, the success of implementing the mental health policy is reliant on whether your company culture provides a safe place for employees to open up and engage in a conversation about mental health. If employees feel like they can't have an open dialogue, then the policy will not be effective and seen as a ‘tick a box’ exercise.

Also, it’s important to factor in the time, resources and people it takes to implement and communicate the policy.

 

Need a mental health policy?

If you're a member of My Business Workplace, you have access to the Workplace Advice Line. Log into your My Business Workplace account, and head to the Support page to view how many calls you have access to. 

The listed templates surrounding mental health assistance are included in My Business Workplace document library